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Interview 29 with Miss Frances Perkins by Mr. Dean Albertson on Wednesday, 10 December 1952 at the United States Civil Service Commission, Washington, D, C. This interview on a tape recorder.

Truman Farewell Dinner - 1952

President Truman gave a farewell dinner on December 4, 1952. There was no public announcement about who was to be invited to the dinner, except that it was said that it was a dinner in honor of his Cabinet, meaning the present (1952) Cabinet, we supposed, when we arrived I found, and very soon it was made clear, that all persons who had ever been members of his Cabinet had been included in the general concept of this party. That meant that people he had inherited from the Roosevelt Cabinet when, as Vice President, he took over were also there. As a matter of fact, there were darn few of us left.

Henry Wallace and I were there. Henry had been Secretary of Commerce, and I Secretary of Labor. There were, of course, others present. I had thought I remembered that Truman had appointed Fred M. Vinson to be Secretary of the Treasury. However, he had been Director of the Office of Economic Stabilization under Roosevelt, because when we arrived at the emergency Cabinet meeting the day Roosevelt died Vinson was in the room. I was the first Cabinet officer to arrive that day. When I walked in, Mr. Truman was standing there and Vinson was beside





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